Director Shannon Murphy, best known for her work in Australian theatre and television, is now making her mark on the big screen with her first feature film Milla.
Synopsis
Milla is a young Australian high school student with cancer. As she considers ending her life, a 23-year-old junkie, Moses, suddenly appears and interrupts her in her thoughts. She immediately falls in love with him and an ambiguous relationship develops between them. He offers Milla a second wind of life by moving in with her despite the reluctance of the girl's parents.
So, facing the disease, Milla has no choice but to live her life in an accelerated manner.
The secrets of realization
The producers, Jan Chapman and Alex White, submitted the adaptation project of Rita Kalnejais' play to the director. She was moved and seduced by the humor of this drama. She immediately viewed an unfiltered and authentic film. Shannon absolutely wanted every scene to reflect the contradiction between humor and drama. In addition, it has left a very important place to music that transmits the emotions of each character throughout their states.
In addition, the budget of the film being very tight, the director with a theatrical past, preferred to have the scenes rehearsed to her actors before shooting to ensure the best possible staging.
A quality cast
Remember her name because you have not finished hearing about her: Eliza Scanlen. This young Australian actress became known, especially for her role in the HBO series Sharp Objects. Thanks to the film Milla she proves once again her talents as an actress. Indeed, this role requires a permanent transformation of the character and a quick adaptation. So, to better understand Milla's feelings, she really shaved her head.
In addition, Toby Wallace, interpreter of Moses, known in particular for his role of Campbell Eliot in the Netflix series The Society spoke at length with the staff of a rehabilitation center for young addicts to better understand his character.
An incurable disease
The beauty of the film is to make people forget this disease. We follow the life of a family whose daughter's fate is tragic. Yet the film never falls into pathos. We can even say that humor is at the heart of this drama. You question what is really important when you are about to lose your life. When we are helpless in the face of illness, we just have to enjoy the last moments of life. It's a beautiful message. In fact, Shannon likes to say that the film shows how good it is not to be dead yet.
In Toby's words, "This movie is a hilarious romantic comedy that's a bit messy ." No judgment is made on the faults of the characters. Everyone is free to react in their own way to such a tragedy. A philosophical, funny, moving film, in theaters on February 17, 2021.
